Kapowsin, Washington - boardwalk to the island, 1920
Kapowsin’s story
123 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1920 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
- 1903Kapowsin is settled
KapowsinWA
Population 466: a town settled in 1903.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Pierce County Library (Life time: Pierce County Library) · Public domain
Population
466
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$444K
Census ACS
Median age
39.9
years
Jobs based here
30
A commuter town
Is Kapowsin a good place to live?
Kapowsin’s average trip to work is 45 minutes, against 27 minutes in Washington’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only one of the 286 Washington towns we compare has a higher home-ownership rate than Kapowsin. Kapowsin has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
466 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
GrahamClear LakeKapowsin
Getting set up
Moving to Kapowsin: who provides what
Kapowsin is unincorporated, so Pierce County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPeninsula Light Company11.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterKapowsin Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers77% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPierce CountyPierce County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePierce County AuditorPierce County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024
ZIP codes98338, 9836098338 98% · 98360 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Kapowsin.
Work & commute
Kapowsin has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Half of commuters travel less than 23 miles. The share of residents in Kapowsin who live below the poverty line: 5.6%. The top destinations are Tacoma (13%), Seattle (7%) and Puyallup (7%).
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Kapowsin0%
Tacoma13%
Seattle7%
Puyallup7%
Federal Way4%
23 mi
median commute distance
30
jobs based in Kapowsin
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Kapowsin, mostly avalanches
84% of Kapowsin’s expected losses from natural hazards come from avalanches, followed by earthquakes at 7%. On expected storm and flood damage, Kapowsin sits above 71% of U.S. communities. 4 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1986.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesEarthquakesInland flooding
4
paid flood claims since 1986
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–47°
Spring40–59°
Summer51–75°
Fall42–60°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 11
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Kapowsin is
Among adults in Kapowsin, 72% had a checkup this year. In Kapowsin, 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Kapowsin | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 71% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
31 measures vs. Washington
0 better18 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Kapowsin | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.1% | 9% |
| More adults with obesity | 37.5% | 30.6% |
| More adults with arthritis | 29.7% | 24.4% |
Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital
14.8 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Conservation land takes up 3.8% of Kapowsin
The trail density for Kapowsin comes to 0.3 miles per square mile. Count the trails in 2 parks and preserves and they come to 1.4 miles.
3.8%conserved
| Kapowsin | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
3.8%
conserved · 122 of 3,259 acres
1.4 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Kapowsin Water Access | 0.1 mi | 11 |
| 2. Lake Whitman Public Access | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
$612Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 145 attractions →Mount Rainier National Park and 34 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kapowsin. Close and well known come first.
12 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
21 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park
38 mi MuseumThe Museum of Flight400K visitors a year4 mi Zoo & aquariumNorthwest Trek Wildlife Park
35 mi Ski areaCrystal Mountain86 runs · 2,389 ft verticalSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · The Museum of Flight: Fawcett5 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Crystal Mountain: ZhengZhou, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kapowsin
16pages on Kapowsin
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Kapowsin; the nearest are
Pacific Lutheran UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Tacoma15.9 mi$52,254 tuitionUniversity of Washington-Tacoma CampusUniversity or college · Public · Tacoma21.6 mi$13,168 in-state tuitionClatsop Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Astoria, OR93.4 mi$5,110 in-state tuition
About 9 of every 100 Kapowsin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Kapowsin for work
Where Kapowsin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
30jobs based in Kapowsin
0%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Kapowsin
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Kapowsin is a census-designated place located approximately 25 miles (38 kilometers) southeast of Tacoma in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The 2020 Census placed the population at 372. Kapowsin, originally Kapousen Precinct, was named for its shallow lake. The ancient glacial drainage channel provides a nearly level connection between the Puyallup and Nisqually Rivers, and formed a natural travel route at the base of the Cascade foothills. Chief Kapowsin was a fictional leader with an iron fist who lived on the lake's shores, a folklore told by the Nisqually tribe that lived in the nearby village of bacálabc (or bišál; southwest of Eatonville) prior to the area being settled in...
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 584 ft
- ZIP code
- 98344
- Area code
- 360
Questions about Kapowsin
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Kapowsin, WA a good place to live?
Kapowsin has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.